Monday, May 1, 2017

May and the Arrival of Bugs

In the Garden

By Catherine Dougherty

If April showers bring May
flowers we will be delighted, particularly after the storms wrought such havoc.
The weekend storms were unlike any in recent memory with torrents of rain for
days, sustained winds that ripped and tore foliage, uprooted trees, produced mini-tornados,
and did substantial damage. These storms have an intensity that is frightening
and seem to increase in velocity as they travel across the country.

It is fortunate it is so
early in the season because Nature will repair the damage to the trees and
shrubs. However there is no such luck for the Peonies that were in full and
glorious bloom… the wind and rain shortened their show and it will not return
until next spring. The up side is the late blooming Iris are putting on new
buds and Oklahoma has finally emerged from our drought status.

In checking the garden, I
noted the deluge did not deter the hoards of bugs invading the garden. The most
invasive so far seems to be the blister bug seen scurrying among almost all the
garden vegetation. Blister bugs belong to a group of insects who have met on a
collision course with mankind for many years and are considered ‘very bad bugs‘.
They travel in packs and migrate to whatever seems delicious at the moment, and
unlike some insects that have a favorite flavor the blister bug eats everything
indiscriminately. Thus just as the produce and flowers reach their peak, they arrive
enmass and strip the plants of all protective foliage practically
overnight.

A clever insect, they have
been known to drop to the ground and ‘play dead’ when disturbed. When that
tactic fails, they release their infamous caustic toxin Cantharidin, and
it is from this they get their reputation as ‘blister bugs‘. If crushed, the
beetle literally bleeds this chemical from its joints and any skin contact with
this goo results in painful blisters.

Blister
bugs love alfalfa flowers and have often been accidentally ground up during
harvest resulting in Cantharidin infected hay. When consumed by
livestock the resulting blisters may cause illness so this beetle is quite
dangerous. To rid the garden of them I recommend shaking the branch and
stepping on them with hard sole shoes and since they will have squished, do not
touch the soles and leave your shoes outside… high and away from children or
pets.